Mufasa: The Lion King – release date, cast and trailer for prequel

Like the hugely successful 2019 version of The Lion King (which is one of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time), the film sees an A-list cast of actors lend their voices to photorealistic CGI animals, with both returning stars and new faces featuring prominently.

One of those new faces is Mads Mikkelsen, who adds yet another villain to his impressive resume as formidable white lion Kiros. And while playing an antagonist is very much within the Danish actor's well established skill set, the new film also requires him to do something new: singing!

"I was more nervous than I was excited, because I've never done it before," he said of the challenge during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "Having said that, after… when the first half hour was passed, then I started getting excited, and we found a key into and I got a lot of help."

Of course, while the previous film could count on several beloved hit songs from the original animation such as Hakuna Matata and Can You Feel The Love Tonight? the new film has a wholly original soundtrack provided by Lin Manuel Miranda, who recently spoke to Radio Times magazine about his inspiration for the new tunes.

With the film now arriving in UK cinemas, read on to find out everything we know about the Lion King prequel.

Mufasa: The Lion King release date

Mufasa: The Lion King has now been released in UK cinemas, with the film landing on Friday 20th December 2024 – just in time for Christmas.

The film was originally set to land in theatres on 5th July, before being delayed for a festive release.

Mufasa: The Lion King cast

Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre voices Mufasa in the film, while his Genius co-star Kelvin Harrison Jr takes on the role of Scar.

Interestingly, Disney has revealed his actual name, Taka, and confirmed the pair are not actually brothers. At least, not in the biological sense.

They are joined by a jam-packed cast, including Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé and Jay Z's daughter, who voices Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara, while several of the stars from the previous film also return including Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, Billy Eichner as Timon and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa.

Meanwhile, the film can count on one of the world's leading portrayer of villains to voice the main antagonist, with Mads Mikkelsen voicing the character of Kiros.

Here's the full cast list:

• Aaron Pierre as Mufasa
• Kelvin Harrison Jr as Scar
• Tiffany Booen as Sarabi, Mufasa's future queen
• Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki
• John Kani as Old Rafiki
• Preston Nyman as Zazu
• Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros
• Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Scar's mother
• Lennie James as Obasi, Scar's father
• Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Mufasa's mother
• Keith David as Masego, Mufasa's father
• Donald Glover as Simba
• Beyoncé as Nala
• Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Simba and Nala's daughter
• Billy Eichner as Timon
• Seth Rogen as Pumbaa

Mufasa: The Lion King trailer

A couple of trailer for the film were released ahead of it's launch – you can see the full version below:

Mufasa: The Lion King plot

The film will sees Rafiki tell Simba and Nala's young daughter the story of how her grandfather became king.

As per Disney's official synopsis: "Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone – until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline.

"The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny — their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe."

We know that Taka is Scar's actual name, with the synopsis already adding plenty of extra intrigue as to why the pair's relationship ends up so strained by the time we reach The Lion King.

Mufasa is now showing in UK cinemas.

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